520 



COMMERCIAL POULTRY RAISING 



from all others in the shape and carriage of its body. They are 

 large birds, sometimes attaining twenty pounds to the pair; 

 yet their flesh, if properly nourished, is delicate and free from 

 any taint, and they are considered among the best of table fowls. 

 They mature early, are excellent layers, non-sitters, and require 

 no particular skill in breeding. 



Shape of Pekins. — ^The standard-bred Pekin has a long, finely 

 formed head, neatly curved neck, and a bill of orange yellow, 



Fig. 319. — Pekin ducks. 



medium-sized, with no trace of any other color. The eyes are 

 of a deep, leaden-blue color. The back is long and broad, the 

 keel proportionately long and deep, the breast round, full and 

 very prominent, and the carriage of the body elevated in front, 

 sloping downward toward the rear. The wings are short, folded 

 closely against the body, and are not capable of sustaining 

 flight; hence a two-foot fence is sufficient to restrain the Pekin. 

 The plumage is downy and of a faint creamy tint throughout, 

 though recently there is a preference for an absolute white. The 



